The Best Hand Mixer
1. Hamilton Beach 6 Speed Electric Hand Mixer
The best choice on our list is the Hamilton Beach 62682RZ. It is one of the best hand mixers that we found, just on performance alone. It is powerful, easy to handle, and well built. It has six speeds to let you control the device and get your preparation just right, as well as an instant boost switch just on top of the handle so you can use your spare hand to steady the ingredients bowl. It has been designed with a stand so that you can put it down to rest it, or use the groove on the front to rest it over the mixer bowl. We like the storage case – simply take off the beater and whisk, wash and clean, and store away neatly so everything stays together. We find it light enough to use for a good length of time.
Pros
Handy storage case
Deals with heavy and thick ingredients
Bowl rest feature
Speed selection
Cons
Storage sometimes doesn’t ‘snap-on’
Beater fitting a little fiddly
2. KitchenAid 5 Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer
Beat your eggs, make whipped cream – the KitchenAid KHM512WH is a sweet little hand mixer and you’ll find it so lightweight to handle. We like the fact that there is no central post so the build-up of cloggy ingredients is prevented so your cake batter won’t be a pain to remove. You might like that you simply press a button and it releases the beaters when you’re finished. It also has a lockable power cord, what that means is that you can lock it to the left or right so that you can tackle the job from either angle.
Pros
Dishwasher safe beaters
Perfect for whipping cream
Choose your speed setting
Cons
May struggle with heavy ingredients
Might prefer heavy-duty beaters
Struggles with butter
Pricey
Cheap-looking
3. Remington Russell Hobbs Retro Style Hand Mixer
This lightweight hand mixer has a power advantage over some at a similar price. It’s cheaper than the KitchenAid KHM512WH we listed above and is our choice for the best value. This is the Russell Hobbs MX3100RDR and even if you don’t like the fact it has a power advantage plus it comes with extra dough hooks and a whisk in addition to the beaters, and it works well on thick and gloopy ingredients… you will enjoy that it has been designed in a sleek and retro style. In red it’s a design statement in itself and will sit well in any kitchen. You can sit it upright on its flat bottom but avoid doing that if you still have a mixture on the beaters as it will drip everywhere! It’s small so neatly stored away when you’re not baking. Good if you need something smaller in place of a stand mixer.
Pros
Looks good
Power advantage
Durable
Lightweight
Eject button
Cons
Have to hold down increase speed button while using
Concern regarding low % of 4/5* reviews
Unlabelled speed control
4. BLACK+DECKER Helix Performance Hand Mixer
Thinking that BLACK+DECKER only ‘do’ heavy-duty construction workmates? Well, they don’t. Here is their MX600L model and at just $27.99 we thought it was worthy of putting into our review list. Looks-wise, it still looks pretty industrial but we think it looks tough and able to handle the thickest of cake batter. It comes in eight colors so it will be a good fit for any kitchen decor. The handy mix of dual-beaters as with most other hand mixers allows it to work through ingredients easily. With 5 speed control, you can change through speeds smoothly, and it has a turbo boost switch too.
Pros
Dishwasher safe tools
Snap-on storage case
Bowl rest to heel
Cons
Not the lightest
Plastic mixing arm heads
Short power cord
5. VonShef BLUE 250W Hand Mixer
Don’t be distracted by the gorgeous art-deco blue color, the VonShef 13/328US is priced averagely and is on par with many hand mixers available. With the three different attachments, easy to control speed settings, boost button, and great looks it will sit well in your countertop and is small enough to store away neatly. This is not the lightest hand mixer on our list. It is good as your first-hand mixer – it’s good if you’re looking to create a softly whipped cream, beat eggs, and mix a light cake batter. Our only point would be that the whisk and beaters are fairly flimsy.
Pros
Good design and color
3 tool attachments
Good for light ingredients
Cons
Hard to find replacement tools
Flimsy tools
Cannot run continuously over 5 minutes
6. Brentwood Lighweight 5-Speed Electric Hand Mixer
Our budget pick and the cheapest on our best hand mixer review list is the Brentwood HM-44 which, just like its weight and size, is priced tiny. This may be a good first-hand mixer device although only if you are looking to create whipped cream or very light batter, and to beat eggs although if you are hoping to make delicious cookie dough you might be disappointed as it is so lightweight and not as powerful as the rest of the hand mixers on our list. A good thing to point out is that the beating tools are actually heavier looking than some of the more expensive hand mixers we have reviewed. For the price and an extremely low budget, it will be good only for very light work.
Pros
Strong beaters
Small and lightweight
Cons
Poor quality body
Can’t work heavy ingredients
7. Dash Smart Store Compact Electric Hand Mixer
The Dash SmartStore is exactly what it says, a compact little hand mixer that has a truly good design. It looks good and is practical, even the beating tools snap into the handle when not in use so that when you’re storing the device (it will fit in a drawer) the tools are with it so never lost! At 150 watts of power, it’s pretty powerful for its size and we think you will like the price. For a small price, you get a great design, small but powerful operation, a power cord with a clip so you can wrap it around the mixer, and basically a super way to beat eggs, cookie dough, cream and cake batter till your heart’s content.
Pros
Superb design
Small and lightweight
Release button for tools
Portable
Makes a nice first-time hand mixer
Intelligent tool storage
Cons
Not compatible with a dough hook
Cannot use continuously for >1 min
Short attachments
8. Braun MultiMix Hand Mixer
Key Features
350 watts
9 speed dial
Weighs 2.2lbs
Soft grip handle
Beater & whisk in one
Chopper with 2-cup capacity
The Braun HM5130 is a smart-looking hand mixer that comes with more additions than the rest of the hand mixers in our 2020 review list. In black color, it’s well built, sturdy, lightweight, and powerful – taking all the effort from you and doing a great job at the same time. The outer housing is completely sealed so it’s very easy to wipe the body clean whilst popping the tools in the dishwasher when you’re finished using it. The 9-speed control is a dial, which turns up to turbo so it’s easy to adjust while you are working on your ingredients, a better idea than a switch as it allows the speed to change smoothly while you whisk and beat. The tools are long enough to fit into a deep bowl plus 9-speed capability allows you to mix light to heavy ingredients with ease. We love the chopper attachment which fits neatly onto the mixer, and as a little extra it has its own storage bag.
Pros
Excellent design
Sturdy
Lightweight
Portable
Comes with dough hooks & bladed chopper
Extra-long power cord
Cons
Tools may be hard to use in round-bottomed bowl
Two hands needed – turn dial and hold
9. Oster HeatSoft Hand Mixer
Key Features
270 watts
7 speed settings
Weighs 4.8lbs
Soft grip handle
Beaters, whisk, dough hooks
Storage case
The Oster FPSTHMSNC-WS is a fine-looking hand mixer with a magnetic copper-colored nozzle, but if you are looking for power then the 270 watts give you plenty. It whipped cream well and softens even cold butter unlike many of the hand mixers we reviewed. It does this using its HeatSoft button near the speed control switch. Cookie dough, bread, and pizza mix even though heavy is easily managed as it combines ingredients smoothly and evenly. The noise level is good even at the highest speed and when using the burst button. You might like the storage case, like two of the others on our list (Hamilton Beach 62682RZ and BLACK+DECKER MX600L) but this one doesn’t snap-in, the tools go in and the body slots into the case to keep everything together.
Pros
Softens cold butter
Storage case
Portable
Power boost button
Cons
Short tools not ideal for deep bowls
Whisk tool not available
Not particularly lightweight
Features To Consider With Hand Mixers
Attachments
When you are looking at buying a hand mixer whether it's for whipping cream, mixing chocolate chip, or beating bread dough there are some basic attachments to think about. Supplied with your new hand mixer are beaters and some manufacturers only do include the beaters and nothing extra. However, the best hand mixer even if it doesn't come with additional tools will allow you to purchase extra tools separately. To give you the chance of carrying out all types of baking jobs the below are what to look out for with your handheld mixer:
- Beaters
- Standard Whisk
- Balloon Whisk
- Whisk Creamer
- Dough Hook (Kneader)
- Mixing Hook
- Chopping Cup
Bearing in mind that you will typically need to purchase attachments that are compatible with your machine as most are not universally made.
Bowl Rest
The mixer bowl rest allows the handheld mixer to sit on the edge of the bowl so that when it's not in use you can leave it sitting without having to remove it. This allows you to return to the bowl again when you're ready.
Durability
The best hand mixers are those that are strong and long-lasting but they don't have to be heavy and cumbersome. Look out for quality materials used both for the housing and for the attachments. If it looks like it's made from cheap plastic and the tools look like they've been formed from some kind of wire then they're not going to stand the test of time. Just because it's strong and durable, doesn't mean your new hand mixer has to blow the budget.
Grip
A well-built hand mixer will be easy to handle while in use. Some have a soft grip so that you are less likely to slip if you have hands full of dough. Others don't have soft-grip but may have a cleverly designed handle that isn't too slight, or that is not too big. If you lack in dexterity then the easier you can grasp the handle the better.
Motor Power
Just because your handheld mixer is a small kitchen instrument, it doesn't mean that you have to settle for a low power option. You can find a handy mix of low 150 watts combined with a durable design and strong tools will work just as well on very light jobs as 350 watts with flimsy attachments. That said, of course, if it's more powerful with good quality tools it is more likely to be able to work on heavy mixes too.
So for your egg whites to turn out perfectly or your cookie dough to combine evenly, you'll want both the motor power and the machine/attachments themselves to work perfectly together.
As a quick tip, a pair of dough hooks are unlikely to be very effective on a hand mixer even with the very best reviews.
Speed Settings
Powerful and lightweight hand mixers are designed to have multiple speeds along with other features like a boost button in order to provide you with the precision and control you will need when working your mixture.
If you want your mixer to do all the jobs you need it to, a handy mix of speed controls plus the added boost button is a must and it's unlikely you can't find one. Typically a hand mixer will have a speed switch or dial. If you find a mixer with a 9-speed setting it is likely to be easier to slowly adjust the speed through low to moderate to high than one with just a 3-speed control.
In general, mixers will have around 5 to 6-speed settings (the Hamilton Beach on our review list has 6) but the more settings your hand mixer has, the more precise you can be when you use it. Basically you can set the pace and the 'burst' button will allow you to pulse the speed so you will never overdo your whipping cream or under beat your eggs!
Storage
You've had a food processor and you've tried stand mixers, just how chunky they can be when it comes to storage!
The reason a hand mixer is good is that it's a handy kitchen appliance for bakers who only want a small appliance to take out the hard work of kneading, beating or whisking by hand. They are small and compact and are generally so well designed that they can store away easily. Take the Dash SmartStore in our list above for example, with smart design so that the beaters snap into the handle - pretty nifty if you ask us.
If you are struggling for a room a hand mixer packs away sometimes into a drawer whilst some come with their own well-fitted storage case (so you won't have to keep the original cardboard box it came in) in which you can also keep the attachments. Perfect so you aren't fumbling around for the tools every time you need to use your mixer.
Weight
Weight bears importance but, technically speaking, it's a handheld mixer so it isn't going to be heavy. The fact though is that it's your arm keeping it in place when in use so it has to be the right weight for you. Prevent arm fatigue with a lighter model but it may be more difficult to control when you're mixing really light ingredients.
